Registered nurses have the highest hourly wage of these four professions based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2000 U.S. National Compensation Survey. In 2000 the average hourly wage of registered nurses was $21.93. Social workers earned an average hourly wage of $15.09, technical writers were at $20.02, while photographers averaged $18.20 per hour. In addition, the salaries of nurses have been on the rise over the past several years.